CHINESE RESTRAINT
China is also ready to help Tehran “economically, technologically, militarily and politically” as it confronts non-military US actions such as trade pressure and cyberattacks, Hua Po, a Beijing-based independent political observer, told AFP.
If the United States launched strikes, China “would strengthen its economic ties with Iran and help it militarise in order to contribute to bogging the United States down in a war in the Middle East,” he added.
Until now, China has been cautious and expressed itself “with restraint”, weighing the stakes of oil and regional stability, said Iran-China relations researcher Theo Nencini of Sciences Po Grenoble.
“China is benefiting from a weakened Iran, which allows it to secure low-cost oil… and to acquire a sizeable geopolitical partner,” he said.
However, he added: “I find it hard to see them engaging in a showdown with the Americans over Iran.”
Beijing would likely issue condemnations, but not retaliate, he said.
Hua said the Iran crisis was unlikely to have an impact on China-US relations overall.
“The Iranian question isn’t at the heart of relations between the two countries,” he argued.
“Neither will sever ties with the other over Iran.”